Possession And The Law

[hoglaw]

Do you have to have a trout stamp in MO to fish any of the trout waters, or just the parks/keeping trout?

[ozark trout fisher]

You need a trout stamp to fish the parks during the winter C&R season, as well as Lake Taneycomo (I think just the trophy stretch, not really a Taneycomo guy), and to keep trout anywhere. For C&R fishing on blue, white, and red ribbon streams you don't need one.

I just don't see why someone who fishes for trout in Missouri isn't willing to buy a $7 stamp to help support the fishery, but there will always be mysteries in life... Guess our trout aren't worth that?

[Feathers and Fins]

Hog you have to in certain areas. You need to get the MDC fighing regs its in there. Just way to much to cut n paste for here. Its part of why I bought my Lifetime when i lived there.

$600.00 got me

Resident Small Game Hunting Permit, Migratory Bird Hunting Permit and Conservation Order Permit.

For fish, frogs, mussels, clams, turtles, crayfish and live bait. To possess trout, except in trout parks where a daily trout fishing tag is required.A Trout Permit is required for all winter fishing in trout parks and for all fishingyear ’round in Lake Taneycomo upstream from the U.S. Highway 65 bridge. Must also have a fishing permit or qualify for an exemption

It saves me: 173.00 a year as i would be buying non-resident now

[laker67]

I didn't buy one this year...I'm boycotting based on principle. I figure I've bought enough trout for other guys to kill and eat in the years past. When they start paying for some of my meals, I'll reconsider.

The only reason I ask, concerns an incident that occurred years back. before trout stamps were mandatory in some waters. I made a comment about it a few weeks back. Myself and three others fished upper taney on a regular basis before a trout stamp was required to pursue fish, you only needed it to keep fish. I would always buy a trout stamp but none of the others would. They insisted that they did not plan on keeping any fish. My comments to them went like this, " what are you going to do if you catch a record fish". Literally you are up a creek with no trout stamp. Well, I was glad that I always bought mine, and continue to purchase it every year. Something to consider unless you are positive that you could release that record or trophy fish of a lifetime. In missouri, when trout reach record size, they are near death anyway, and most likely would not survive another season.

[eric1978]

I just don't see why someone who fishes for trout in Missouri isn't willing to buy a $7 stamp to help support the fishery, but there will always be mysteries in life... Guess our trout aren't worth that?

I'll tell you what, as soon as catch and eaters have to pay 20-25 bucks to keep all the fish they want in a given year, and C&R anglers have to pay 7 bucks to fish regardless if they keep or not, I'll gladly pay. Gladly. But as it stands, I pay for others to eat AND at the same time they take fish out of the rivers that I may have otherwise eventually caught. Seems a tad askew to me. So like I said, I'm boycotting until they come up with a system that rewards C&R anglers for letting fish go and saving them money.

The only scenario in which I see myself wishing I had a license is if I mortally wound a fish and wanted to keep it in order to prevent waste...but how often does that happen? With flies, basically never. Other than that, I can think of no reason to buy a stamp. Why would I? I don't consume and deplete the resource. My presence on the river has essentially no impact.

The only reason I ask, concerns an incident that occurred years back. before trout stamps were mandatory in some waters. I made a comment about it a few weeks back. Myself and three others fished upper taney on a regular basis before a trout stamp was required to pursue fish, you only needed it to keep fish. I would always buy a trout stamp but none of the others would. They insisted that they did not plan on keeping any fish. My comments to them went like this, " what are you going to do if you catch a record fish". Literally you are up a creek with no trout stamp. Well, I was glad that I always bought mine, and continue to purchase it every year. Something to consider unless you are positive that you could release that record or trophy fish of a lifetime. In missouri, when trout reach record size, they are near death anyway, and most likely would not survive another season.

Yeah, that's a decent reason for someone else to buy one, but I don't care about records, and if I wanted to get a mount I'd just buy a reproduction.

[Feathers and Fins]

Eric where I see and understand your point cant say i dont agree with yoru reasoning either, but even buying a license helps support the eaters eating habits. I look at it this way. That 7bucks might well help you catch a trophy someday or catch more fish. I dont see fishing presure getting any lighter in the years to come. So are you going to boycot fishing completely?

A special C&R license would be nice maybe half the cost but that aint ever going to happen...

[eric1978]

So are you going to boycot fishing completely?

Nope, just the trout stamp.

I know it's petty, but I'm just sick and tired of catering to people who see sport fish as more valuable in their bellies than in the rivers. There are so many other abundant species to take for table fare...why not leave the few most prized species for those of us who constantly daydream about catching them? That's all. They don't give a shlip about my interests...why should I care about theirs? It certainly doesn't put me in the mood to pay for their groceries, that's for sure.

[Feathers and Fins]

I dont know Eric, You seem to be putting a lot on a non-native species that is put in our waters for for the very reason to be taken by anglers. Its nice to catch a trophy sized fish sure, but its also not native and wouldnt be here without stocking that is funded by the meat eaters as much as it is by you. But its your choice!

[Chief Grey Bear]

Other than that, I can think of no reason to buy a stamp. Why would I? I don't consume and deplete the resource. My presence on the river has essentially no impact.

You may not consume the resource but you are still using it. You have to pay to ride the ride and the cost is $7 per year. Pay up sucker!

why not leave the few most prized species for those of us who constantly daydream about catching them?

Maybe most prized in your eyes. Maybe not theirs. Look, you know I only C&R myself. And like you, I cringe when I see a stringer of nice sized bass, any species. But I also don't believe we should be infringing on the life long liberties of our brothern to keep and eat. And it is blantly obvious that the current regulations are working to benifit both. Treasure that trophy when you catch it. Because if we had a stream full of them like you guy's are wanting, it won't be a trophy, it'll just be another fish.

[eric1978]

I really don't care about trophies. I just want more fish and more bigger fish...just average bigger. More fish over 18".

I realize trout aren't native, and that's a good argument to get people into the mindset of exploitation rather than conservation of the resource. But we've paid for them, and now we have them, and they're pretty much universally accepted as one of our most prized sport fish. I reject the premise that the fish are stocked "to be taken." That's a matter of perspective. I think they are stocked to be enjoyed recreationally instead of gastro-intestinally. The parks are a different story...people pay an extra three bucks a day for the privelage to keep their four fish. That's fine with me. That makes sense.

My problem with paying the trout stamp fee has to do with the regulations outside the parks, and the fact that we all pay the same no matter what each of us personally cost the program. Compare me with a guy who lives near a White Ribbon section. He goes fishing let's say three times a week. And let's say he keeps his limit twice out of those three times per week. That's 8 fish times 52 weeks...416 fish per year. That means MDC (we) would have to supply fish for this guy at less than two cents a piece. And we all know it costs far more than that. So basically I'm paying for this glutton's food. It's like fishing welfare, and I don't dig it.

So like I said, I'm boycotting this year on principle. Chances are I'll end up with the dang stamp anyway because I'll find myself at a park one day next winter due to some unforeseen and unfortunate circumstances. But until then it makes me feel better to know that I'm not personally enabling the bucket brigade, free-for-all mentality. Bottom line is, I think those who use the resource the most should pay the most. Ronald Reagan said it was crazy that a millionaire pay lower taxes than a bus driver, and I say it's crazy that a strictly C&R angler pay the same as an exploitative meat hog.